Season 2

Interview with Jason Mantzoukas

HBO

What does Omar imagine Amy and Tyler are plotting this whole time?

Jason Mantzoukas

He's just suspicious. He knows that something's going on, which is why he asks them first if they're having an office affair. He's just trying to put together why these two are always chatting and whispering and all that nonsense. But I don't think he suspects anything as malicious as what's actually happening.

HBO

So what does he think really happened to get him fired?

Jason Mantzoukas

He has no idea. At the end, he's ranting and raving about them profiling him, but he's just grasping at straws. He's incredibly confused and upset, but he doesn't think at all that Amy and Tyler are behind his firing.

HBO

Omar's one of the more overtly comic characters on the show. Do you enjoy bringing levity to some of the show's more serious moments?

Jason Mantzoukas

It's terrific fun. Mike [White] does such a good job creating that world. And it's a world full of tension and angst, so it's nice to cut through that and put something in that's funny without upsetting the balance. That's what's great about the show-it can maintain that kind of tension and pressure on its characters, but still have some pretty funny jokes land.

HBO

Where do you think Omar ends up after leaving Abaddonn?

Jason Mantzoukas

No place good, I'm sure. I think it's only downhill for Omar after Cogentiva. He was already in dire straits. There was a scene last season in Omar's house with his three kids running around with his wife in the background and it's not a nice house. This guy lives a harrowing existence. He's probably going to be in bad shape-or, he's going to invent a software program and become a billionaire. One or the other.

Exit Interview:

Can one person change the world?

Yes.

What's your personal mission statement?

I don't know if I have one.

What's the best way to quit your job?

If it's a bad job, in a blaze of glory. If it's a good job, in a polite and mannered fashion.

Worst job you've ever had:

I had a series of temp jobs in New York that were awful. But nothing as bad as Omar's existence on Enlightened.

I need rehab for ____:

Garbage television.

If I were a corporation, I'd be:

Patagonia.

Best advice I ever got:

Take Fountain Ave. during rush hour.

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